Whey does delightful things to slow cooked meat, tenderizing and adding richness. I had a whole chicken in the fridge and started searching for recipes that cooked chicken with milk, thinking I could substitute the whey for milk. After reading this rave from The Kitchn, I decided to make Chicken in Whey based on Jamie Oliver’s Chicken in Milk recipe. Sage, lemon, cinnamon and whey? Sounds a little strange, but truly, it was amazing. I served it with fingerling potatoes roasted in duck fat, and it was a rich meal that has us feeling pretty good about staying home on a Saturday night. (So good that all the photos I took were sub-par, but oh well!) I saved the chicken breast for another meal–shredded in quesadillas–and Steve commented that it reminded him of the chicken we used to get at a little Peruvian restaurant, El Pollo in NYC. Incredibly tender, rich and so subtly flavored. I will make this one again for sure!

I think the Kitchn post is like 6 years old, and the original recipe is even older. I missed the boat, but glad I’m on it now. It’s hard to find something new to do with a chicken, but this really wowed me. Buttermilk is a great idea, too, I bet that’s delicious!